COVID-19 Updates

Next step in the phased re-opening of the Bruce Trail, June 2.

As of Tuesday June 2, 2020, eighty-five percent of the Bruce Trail is open for people to get fresh air, connect to the wonders of the Niagara Escarpment, and practice physical distancing.

Areas remaining closed will continue to be updated on our Trail updates page, on our Bruce Trail App, and on the websites of parks and other public landowners. Closed areas currently include most waterfalls, high-traffic tourism destinations, and some private properties. Keep in mind that where the Trail is open, most facilities remain closed and some parking is restricted or not available. Please respect all closures.

With these new openings, and the excitement they bring, everyone is reminded to hike locally and hike responsibly. Do not travel outside of your community to use the Trail, maintain physical distancing, and always check Trail changes on our website before heading out.

Although much of the Trail will be open, all BTC and Club organized hikes and in-person events remain suspended. In the meantime, we are working with Hiking Directors from all nine Clubs to establish new protocol for our organized hikes when they resume. Our BTC office remains closed and employees continue to be reachable by email and phone.

Thank you for your patience as we work with our conservation partners and landowners in re-opening the Bruce Trail.

Have a safe and happy hike.

Michael McDonald
CEO, Bruce Trail Conservancy

Coronavirus Hiking Advice - May 22, 2020

Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the Toronto Bruce Trail Club has been monitoring the situation closely.

The welfare of our members is the priority of everyone. We operate our Hiking Program in accordance with advice issued by the Bruce Trail Conservancy: we closely monitor the advice from Canada’s chief public health officer.

For the spring and summer months, strict adherence to the public health basics of physical distancing, handwashing and cough etiquette must continue as the bare minimum. This advice is responding to the cautious steps we are taking to reopening our Hiking Program. To prevent the spread of COVID-19 the Toronto Bruce Trail Club will be including the Hike Waiver of Liability & Assumption of Risk document as part of the electronic registration.

Any decision we take as to whether to operate an urban, car or bus hike, or cancel or make any changes to our Hiking Program will always be in the interests of our members safety and security.

We are currently planning to open again the following hikes on July 1, 2020.

All urban hikes with a limit of 20 hikers on each hike.

All car hikes with the recommendation that the group be limited to 10 hikers.

Cancellations

All bus hikes are cancelled until further notice.

The Bruce Peninsula Weekend September 25-27 led by Martina Furrer and David Royle is cancelled.

If you have any questions or require clarification relating to any aspect of our Hiking Program, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

David Royle
Hiking Director and Vice President
Toronto Bruce Trail Club

Toronto Bruce Trail Club ~ Celebrating 50 Years

At the Toronto Bruce Trail Club, we have a dual mandate of supporting the Bruce Trail Conservancy in securing and preserving this magnificent footpath, and offering a variety of hiking experiences so everyone can enjoy it. Our dedicated team of volunteer's maintain 50km of main trails plus many amazing side trails in the Halton Hills area, and our trained volunteer Hike Leaders lead hundreds of hikes each year across the entire Niagara Escarpment. We invite you to join us!

"Here stands a rugged, beautiful continuum of rocks, waterfalls, greenery and recreational opportunity that must be preserved in its entirety for us and the future." Ray Lowes, Volume 1, Number 2, Bruce Trail News, September 1963.

The Bruce Trail Conservancy is a charitable organization committed to establishing a conservation corridor containing a public footpath along the Niagara Escarpment, in order to protect its natural ecosystems and to promote environmentally responsible public access to this UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

Thousands of hikers enjoy the beauty of the Bruce Trail every year. The Toronto Bruce Trail club offers nearly 400 hikes each year and offer a variety of ways to get there. Car and bus explore the entire the entire Niagara Escarpment, from Queenston Heights to Tobermory. Urban walks explore nature close to home.

There are fast paced, all day hikes for ambitious hikers, slow paced, short hikes for hikers who want to enjoy the trails at a more leisurely pace, and everything in between.